The Art of Emotion
by Skyblaze
Summary: It all started with an Art History assignment...it ended in a surprise from Yugi's past, and a revelation of his destiny and relationship with Yami. Shounenai.
1. Chapter 1

**The Art of Emotion**

_Author's Notes: This is all Lucidscreamer and SkyTV's fault. Like I really needed another voice in my headspace..._

It was rare that Yami bothered to pay attention to what his Hikari was doing during an average school day - unless there was a Duel in the offering, of course. Most of the time, he found the subjects in class were either incomprehensible to him, or simply boring. It was an opinion his light occasionally shared - particularly when it came to subjects like Algebra.

Today, however, he had felt a rare excitement in the fast-flowing current of Yugi's bubbling emotions. He was always careful to keep track of how his aibou was feeling, even when he was in the depths of his soul room, effectively cut off from the real world, he could always feel the constant sparkle of his other half. So, intrigued by Yugi's excitement, Yami surfaced briefly, and after checking that this was neither a duel nor an indication of danger, his curiosity took over, and he sent a silent question over their bond.

/It's nothing to worry about, Yami./ Yugi had cheerfully replied//I'll show you when we get home/

Several hours later, they had arrived back in Yugi's room above the Kame Game Shop.

"What is this, Aibou?" Yami asked curiously, peering through Yugi's eyes at the thick, crackling paper Yugi had just mounted on the large easel he had set up in his room. Yugi ducked his head slightly, feeling colour mount up his pale cheeks,  
"It's for art class, Yami. The Art History assignment. We have to draw a picture in a historical style..." He trailed off.  
Taking a brief liberty, Yami reached out with his partner's hands and touched the paper, feeling the familiar texture under his fingers.  
"Papyrus..." He exclaimed softly, "You chose the Egyptian style, aibou?"   
Yugi blushed even harder,  
"Yeah," He said softly.   
Yami smiled, "You honour me, my light. What is it you are going to draw?"  
Yugi shifted, his face flaming. He took a deep breath.  
"You." He said as he began to take the books he was using for reference out of his bag, piling them on the desk and bed, opening them to useful pictures. Some of them were art books, some Grandpa's Egyptology books...and there was one photocopied picture of the tablet from the Museum - the tablet of the Nameless Pharaoh. Yugi didn't let his gaze linger on the image of that tablet, though he could feel his other half's surprise - well, it was the only picture of Yami that was available.

Carefully laying out his drawing materials, he looked carefully at the vivid pictures in his Grandfather's books, taking in the stylised way all the figures were represented;

The face was always in profile, both shoulders were in view, as were both feet, it should have looked awkward and wrong, but somehow it didn't. It looked graceful, elegant...beautiful - much like the person he was about to draw, in fact. Yugi reached for his pencil to begin sketching in an outline.

"It would be more accurate, aibou, if you were to use the charcoal for the outline." Yami interrupted his concentration. Yugi looked up, realising the spirit had detached himself and now hovered in front of the easel. Yugi looked quizzical, but picked up the charcoal anyway.

"Apprentice scribes used to use charred sticks to write with, that way it was easier to rub out their mistakes." Yami explained with a smile.

"That make's sense," Yugi nodded and hesitantly began putting charcoal to papyrus, "So, you do remember some of your life in Egypt?" He asked, stealing occasional glances at the semi-transparent form of his other half to try and get the picture right, and admiring how Yami didn't seem at all concerned to be a subject of a painting, in fact, he seemed to be almost enjoying it, even through he currently had a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Not much," Yami said at last, "It's like remembering a dream. All that remains are impressions, vague images, feelings...nothing more." He sighed.

Yugi looked at him, seeing the sadness in those glittering garnet eyes. He turned back to his picture and said softly,

"I understand." He began, "My...my memories of my Dad are like that." Yugi gripped the charcoal a little tighter, though careful not to break the delicate rod. He had never spoken of his father with anyone - not even Joey.

Yami felt the wave of sadness, regret and loss from his Hikari, feelings so much like the ones he had for his lost kingdom, sympathy flowed easily.

"I am sorry." Yami said simply, sincerely, his soft, deep voice almost caressing the words. Yugi straightened slightly,

"It's ok...it was a long time ago...but I wish I could remember more about him."

Yami considered that, and realised he wanted to know more, he wanted to know everything about his aibou, "What do you remember, Yugi?"

Yugi paused for a moment in his drawing and his eyes went slightly distant for a moment,

"I remember the smell of his aftershave, the sound of his voice singing me to sleep...and I remember him holding me when I couldn't sleep..."

A flash of memory came to him then, a sudden vivid image of himself curled up in the warmth of his father's arms, sobbing in terror after a terrible nightmare, his Dad's gentle voice singing a soothing lullaby, trying to lull him back towards sleep...sleep that held such terrible images of silent, unending blackness, violent, freezing loneliness that yearned towards a light that would never come...Yugi cried harder.

From out in the hallway, low voices exchanged an urgent conversation,

"This can't go on. He's barely sleeping at all, it isn't good for his development..." His mother whispered worriedly,

"I know," His Grandfather replied just as quietly, "But the doctor doesn't know what else to do. He's too young to be given drugs..."

"I know, father…but there has to be something else we can do." His mother said in quiet desperation.  
"What are you suggesting?"  
"Well…" the words trailed away as Yugi fought against sleep that had again come to claim him…

The stick of charcoal broke in Yugi's sudden tight grip, his amethyst eyes wide and distant. Yami frantically waved a semi-transparent hand in front of his partner's face.  
"Yugi! Aibou, answer me! Yugi!" There was no response, Yugi seemed lost in a dream. Frantically, Yami tried calling him through the soul-link.  
/YUGI/  
Finally, blessedly, Yugi snapped out of his trance and turned his bewildered violet gaze on Yami's concerned face.  
"I saw him…" Yugi murmured, tears threatening to spill over onto his pale cheeks, "I could never remember…but I saw him." Yugi's eyes finally seemed to regain some of their focus, "I was dreaming…dreaming of shadows."   
Yami reached out to touch's Yugi's face, caressing it gently. Yugi leaned into that phantom touch, seeking comfort from his darkness.  
But that tender touch was interrupted by Solomon's voice calling out that dinner was ready.  
Yami cupped Yugi's soft face in one insubstantial hand.  
"We will talk later, aibou." He murmured, Yugi nodded his acknowledgement and Yami vanished back into his soul room, leaving only a faint sense of a chill in the air.   
Yugi took several deep breaths to calm himself before he wandered down to the kitchen

**End of Chapter One**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

"Grandpa..?" Yugi began tentatively as he set down his chopsticks.

"Yes, Yugi?" Solomon said calmly as he gathered up the dishes to wash them.

Wide innocent eyes peered up at his grey-haired Grandfather, Yugi absently fiddled with the Puzzle as he tried to ask his question,

"When I was younger...when...when Dad was...still alive," He began stammering slightly, "Did I ever...have nightmares?"

Solomon's expression froze for just a second, but he answered casually,

"Of course, Yugi. All children have nightmares occasionally."

Yugi shook his head, looking down at the table.

"Please, Grandpa. I don't just mean an occasional bad dream...I mean something serious."

Solomon's shoulders bowed slightly, as though he were carrying some great weight, and then he sighed deeply,

"It had us all so worried," He began in a defeated sort of voice, "You mother and father and I. Nothing we could think of really helped. We tried nightlights, one of us staying with you, lullabies...everything. But no matter what we did, you always woke up screaming. You were so young...but we could all work out the words 'shadows' and 'darkness' that you babbled when you woke."

Yugi stared in astonishment and in the back of his mind, he could feel the spirit stirring something like surprise or alarm filtering through their bond, "What did you do?" He asked softly.

"The doctor couldn't find anything wrong, and you were too young to be given sleeping drugs. We finally ended up taking you to a psychologist..." Here Solomon paused as though loath to speak anymore, "He recommended hypnotherapy."

Yugi fought back the surge of raw anger he felt on finding out his mind had been tampered with, recognising that not all of that heated surge of emotion was his own. Solomon stared miserably at his grandson with violet eyes so much like his own.

"I'm so sorry, Yugi. But it was all we could think of to do. It was making you ill..." He trailed off helplessly.

Yugi nodded shortly, slipping down from the kitchen chair.

"Thanks for telling me, Grandpa." He said quietly, "I think I'm gonna need to think about all of this."

He barely heard his Grandfather's quiet acknowledgement.

Yugi made his was back up to his room and threw himself on the bed, trying to get his jangling emotions under control.

He couldn't blame his Grandpa, or his parents, really. They'd been worried - scared - and done they only thing they could. But even so...someone had tampered with him. Blocked off a part of him...a painful part, maybe, but still a part of him.

Then Yugi felt a comforting hand stroke his hair gently, Yugi looked up to see his ghostly other half sat on the edge of the bed.

"Yami..." He began, but his partner interrupted him,

"I heard," The Spirit soothed, "It's all right."

Yugi leaned into the gentle caresses Yami was giving him. Why? Why had no one ever told him, or even mentioned it? That surely meant that whatever 'blocks' had been put in place to stop the nightmares were still there. Why had they never been removed? Frustration made tears gather in the corner of his eyes and his teeth grind together...had they thought he was damaged somehow?

"Aibou," Yami's deep, rich voice cut through his anguished thoughts and Yugi looked up into his other half's crimson eyes, "I could probably dissolve any blocks in your mind, if you wish."

Yugi started. He desperately wanted to say 'yes' but at the same time...

"What if the nightmares come back?" He asked. Yami smiled and stroked Yugi's hair again,

"I will defend you from any dark dreams, Hikari."

Yugi sat up and nodded, "Do it."

Insubstantial fingers reached out to touch Yugi's face, and he felt a strange warmth, and a peculiar tingling in his temples...then...

_The sun beat down like a hammer on an anvil, the air was dry, dusty, and filled with the scent of incense and spices, as well as the far less pleasant smell of dried animal dung._

_He was stood next to a huge wedge-shaped wall, covered in smooth plaster and painted in stunning beautiful designs. Stretched out in front of him was a long collonade lined either side with statues of crouching lions...sphinxes..?_

_Something glinted from inside the huge walls - a tall needle-shaped pillar, its point covered with a crown of shining gold..._

Yami's fingers dropped from Yugi's face, both their faces recognising their total shock. They both recognised that vision as an unmistakable look at Ancient Egypt...had that really been Yugi's memory?

Determined violet eyes met crimson as Yugi spoke,

"Keep going."

**End of Chapter Two **


End file.
